At a lost...

[lissamcg]

I have a 6 1/2 yr old son who in the past several months has had "spells" of dizziness, head pain, nausea, vomiting and extreme muscle tightness in his hands and legs and feet.  He has had a normal EEG and MRI and the Dr told us he is leaning toward Migraines over seizures.  He also mentioned Dysautonomia.  Today my son had a spell that lasted over and hour (usually they are only 15 to 20 minutes.  He is always awake, although a little out of it at times...starts with a funny feeling in his head, then the nausea hits.  Then his hands tense up and his legs and feet.  He can still move them some but it causes him pain. He will finally vomit and then his hands and legs relax. He then will fall asleep and when he wakes up he is perfectly normal.   Today has been the worst I have seen....I am at such a loss because no one can tell us why he is having these problems.  We have been trying to pin point a possible cause or trigger.  It seems as though when he eats alot of bread this happens but then again I think we are just pulling at straws.  He has not had any blood work done pertaining to this problem and I am just wondering if he needs to be checked out farther....he is a VERY picky eater so I know he probably doesn't get all the nutrition he should be getting.  Has anyone had any experiances like mine or have any ideas?  Thanks so much!

[halbashes]

You mentioned that his episodes seemed to be happening in the evening.  Could they be occurring after dinner perhaps, or after a large meal?  Does he jump up to play immediately after dinner?

What time was the episode he experienced during PE?  Could it have occurred after lunch, or during a time when he would have been overheated?

I so hope your son will feel better soon!  There are medications that can be used as-needed to help control his nausea/vomiting episodes.  A drug like Zofran may be something to ask the doctor about while in the process of seeking a diagnosis.

Diagnosing Dysautonomia:
http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Neurological-Disorders/Diagnosing-Dysautonomia/show/827?cid=196

[lissamcg]

Thanks for your input!  His spells have mostly happened at night around bedtime...the last 2 however have been during the day.  He was at school during PE with the last one. He says his head hurts but complains more about being dizzy and his stomach hurting. Thats why I am a little iffy about jumping on the migraine diagnosis. He is always able to communicate with me during these spells and remembers everything that happens so that makes me iffy about the seizure diagnosis.  He seems to have symptoms of both things.  Celiac Disease has been mentioned to us by a few friends and I am in the process of learning about it.  I am worried about putting him on seizure meds without at least ruling out other possible problems first. Thanks again for replying =)

[AireScottie]

What a tough thing for a little boy to go through!  I can't say the symptoms are like mine, but dysautonomia can be different for different people.  There are a few different tests that can be done to look for dysautonomia.  The first thing you could do is read the Health Pages in the upper right of this forum, especially "Diagnosing Dysautonomia".  

People with dysautonomia often have trouble regulating blood pressure and pulse when they change position, so you might pay attention to what happens right before your son gets dizzy: did he just stand up, walk up the stairs, play soccer, etc.?  You even could buy a cheap BP monitor at the drug store and check pulse and BP when he starts having symptoms.  This info can be very helpful when you next see the doctor.

Since your son is a picky eater and might have trouble with bread, you might consider seeing a gastroenterologist.  Gastric problems are common with dysautonomia, but it's also possible your son has something like Celiac disease triggering his symptoms.

His symptoms sound an awful lot like an absence seizure.  Is he able to communicate with you during these episodes?  Does he remember things that happen around him during these episodes?

Best of luck.  Hope this gives you some new ideas.